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July 18, 2017

UAB students to compete in solar decathlon

A group of University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students, dubbed team surviv(AL), are eager to leave their mark on the renewable energy sector and show how young minds are also helping build the future of energy. Southern Company and Alabama Power are proud to support team surviv(AL) as they prepare to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon this fall.

Surviv(AL) consists of more than sixty undergraduate and graduate students who have spent the past two years developing an innovative solar home for the competition. Andrew Riley, maintenance team leader at Alabama Power’s Plant Gaston, is a UAB graduate student and on the surviv(AL) team. Prior to joining Alabama Power as a full-time employee, he was a technical services co-op student in Engineering and Construction Services in Birmingham, Ala. Andrew is grateful for the support the team has received.

“It is really exciting to see Birmingham businesses come together to support our UAB Solar Decathlon team. Designing, building, and transporting our house to Denver, Colo., would not be possible without the community’s financial support,” describes Andrew.

Surviv(AL) recently unveiled their solar home on June 14, 2017 at the UAB campus. The structure uses solar energy to fight sweltering temperatures and offer protection from the inclement weather that often ravages their state.

The Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is scheduled to take place in October 2017 in Denver, Color., where surviv(AL) will compete against twelve collegiate teams in a series of contests testing a variety of features on their surviv(AL) house.

Andrew explains, “The competition allows us to showcase the latest technology in sustainable design in a grid-tied microgrid community, and helps educate the public on the benefits of sustainable design.”

Southern Company and Alabama Power look forward to cheering on team surviv(AL) as they display how they imagine the future of energy.

Learn more about surviv(AL) and their solar home. You can also help surviv(AL) transport their solar house to Denver for the Solar Decathlon.